Soccer Transfer Rumors: PSG Set to Bid Record £250 Million for Cristiano Ronaldo
Paris Saint-Germain is ready to show the football world their financial strength as they are prepared to bid up to £250 million for Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, according to The Sunday Times. The news outlet said that the defending Ligue 1 champions will offer Madrid £109.2 million as transfer fee and a larger wage to Ronaldo, bringing the total deal worth to quarter of a billion.
Earlier in September, Madrid president Florentino Perez said that Qatar Sports Investments, who owns PSG, have no chance of signing their superstar forward. He told Cadena COPE, as quoted by GOAL.com, "If PSG want Ronaldo, it's easy. They have to pay the release clause €1 billion. No-one is a prophet in football but we don't want to sell him in 2016. There are still three years left on his contract."
PSG have made an offer worth £87.3 million to the Spanish giants earlier this summer but was quickly rejected, as per Bleacher Report. If the deal eventually comes through, the 31-year-old will be the first £100-million man in the history of association football.
However, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told Sky Sports via Sports Mole that the Portugal captain "dreams" of going back to Manchester United. He said, "He keeps dreaming of going to United, but it does not make sense as United are in a different place and he would be fighting with his own shadow. But the financial situation is there for United to get him."
"This could be his last year. It is quite clear there is a strategy in place, both by Real and from Ronaldo, to push the situation to a limit next summer. He still has two years left on his contract. He will have to either renew his contract, or Real will have to accept an offer for him from PSG, or whoever," Balague added.
ESPN notes that the Portuguese international signed a five-year deal in 2013 that will pay him €17 million annually, becoming the highest-paid footballer in the world.
According to Sport-English.com, Ronaldo is not the only target of PSG next summer as they are also prepared to make bids for Barcelona superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar. They are also eyeing to replace Swedish scoring machine Zlatan Ibrahimovic with Manchester City's Sergio Aguero.
PSG and Manchester United are not the only clubs interested in Ronaldo. Rumors of him going to Major League Soccer in the U.S. circulated since last year, especially after TMZ reported that he purchased a New York City apartment for $18.5 million last August.
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